The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1887-05-06
THE LATE DIR. j. G. HOLLANDS
OPINION.
A Physician Climbing the Editorial
Stairs.

The columns eff the newspapers appear
10 be flooded with proprie tary medicine
AS we cast our eye over
them, it brings 10 mind an article tina YVES
published by the late DR.. Holland in
Scribner's Monthly. He says: "Neverthe-
less. it is fact that many of tho best pro-
prietary medicines of the day were more
successful than many physicians, and most
of them, it should be reme mbered, were at
first discovered or used in actual medical
practice. When however, any shrewd
person, knowing their virtue, and foresee-
ing their popularity, secures and advertises
them, then, in the opinion of the bigoted,
all virtue went out of them"
Is not this absurd? This great man APP
preciated the real merits of popular rem
edies, and the absurdity of those that de-
rided them because public attention was
called to the article and the evidence of
their cures. If the most noted physician
should announce that he had made study
of any certain organ or disease of the body
or make his sign larger than the code size,
though he may have practiced medicine
and been a leader in all medical counsels,
Notwithstanding all this, if he should pre-
sumo to advertise and decline to give his
discovery to the public, he would be pro-
nounced quack and humbug, although
he may have spent his entire life and all
his available funds in perfecting his inves-
LEGATIONS. Again we say, ''absurd.'
If an ulcer is found upon ones arm, and
is cured by some dear soul of a grandmoth-
err, outside of the code, it will be pronounc-
ed by the medical profession an ulcer of
little importance. But if treated under the
code causing sleepless nights for month
with the scientific treatment, viz, plasters,
washes, dosing with morphine, arsenic and
other vile substances, given to prevent
blood poisoning or deaden pain, and yet
the ulcer becomes malignant, and amputa-
ton is made necessary at last, to save life.
yet all done according TO the "isms" of the
medical code, this is much more gratifying
to the medical profession; and adds more
dignity to that distinguished order than to
be cured by the dear old grandmother s
remedy.
This appears like severe arraignment.
yet we believe that it expresses the true
standing of the medical profession in regard
to remedies discovered outside of their spe-
cial 'isms.' One of the most perplexng
things of the day is the popularity of GER
tain remedies, especially Warmers safe
cure, which we find FIR sale everywhere.
The physician of the highest standing is
ready to concede its merits and sustain the
theories the proprietors have made-that
is, that it benefits in most of the ailments of
the human system because it assists in put
ting the kidneys i'll proper condition
thereby aiding in throwing of the impur-
tiles of the blood, while others with less
honesty and experience deride, and are
willing to see their patients die scientific
ally, and according to the code, rather than
have him cured by this great remedy. Yet
we notice that the popularity of the med
icine continues to grow year after year.
The discoverer comes boldly before the
people with its merits, and proclaims them
from door to door in our opinion much
more honorably than the physician who,
percha nee, may secure patient from some
catastrophe, and is permitted TO set bone
of an arm, or finger, which he does with
great dignity, yet very soon after climbs
the editors back stairs at 2 O'Clock in the
morning to be announced in the morning
paper that ''Dr. So-and-so, was in attend
ance," and thus secures for his benefit a
beautiful and free adveI tisemen. We shall
leave it to our readers to say which is the
wisest and most honorable.